Clematis Plant Named &#39;Evipo076&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new  Clematis  plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, red-purple flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

Botanical classification:

Genus: Clematis.

Species: viticella.

Variety denomination: ‘Evipo076’.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematis plant which originated from a controlled crossing between the female seed parent, an un-named seedling, and the male pollen parent, an un-named seedling. Both parent varieties are non-patented.

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2001 and the resulting seeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment in Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named ‘Evipo076’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parent and male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The female seed parent has light pink tepals while the new variety has red-purple tepals. The male seed parent has violet tepals while the new variety has red-purple tepals.

The objective of the hybridization of this clematis plant was to create a new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualities such as:

-   -   1. Uniform and abundant red-purple flowers;     -   2. Vigorous and compact growth, making the variety suitable for         container culture;     -   3. Improved disease resistance; and     -   4. Abundant flower production on new growth.

This combination of qualities was lacking in clematis plants that were in commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantially achieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo076’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in their clematis development program in the Channel Islands, United Kingdom in 2002. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo076’ by means of vegetative cuttings and traditional layering was first performed by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summer of 2002. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations have demonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo076’ are true to type and are transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustrations show as true as is reasonably possible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typical characteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo076’. Specifically illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings are an open flower, tepals detached, reproductive flower parts, and flower bud. Specifically illustrated in FIG. 2 is a bare stem showing development of flower buds and leaves. Plants shown are 2 years of age.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo076’, as observed in its growth throughout the flowering period in Marion County Oreg. Observed plants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in 2 liter containers. Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may vary under different environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, and climatic conditions. Color references are made using The Royal Horticultural Society (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except where common terms of color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the clematis variety Evione described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,222 are compared to ‘Evipo076’ in Chart 1.

Chart 1 ‘Evipo076’ Evione Flower diameter 10 cm 13 to 18 cm Tepal upper Purple Group N78C Purple Group 76A surface after with a central bar of opening Red-Purple Group 71A Tepal count 6 6 sometimes 8

-   Flower and flower bud:     -   -   Blooming habit.—Recurrent. The natural flowering period is             generally from June to September.         -   Flower bud.—Size: Normally 20 mm in length. Bud diameter is             12 mm. Bud form: Elliptic broad at the base. Bud color: At ¼             opening Yellow-Green Group 145C. Texture: Highly pubescent.         -   Pedicel.—Surface Texture: Smooth. Length: On average 60 mm             in length with 2 mm diameter. Color: Yellow-Green Group             145C. Strength: Moderately strong.         -   Receptacle.—Surface Texture: Lightly pubescent. Shape: Broad             funnel. Size: 2 mm (h)×2 mm (w). Color: Yellow-Green Group             145C.         -   Flower arrangement.—Location on vine: New and old growth             only. Borne: Along the length of the stem at terminal and             axillary buds.         -   Flower bloom.—Size: On average, flowers are 100 mm in             diameter and 25 mm in depth. Profile: Open flowers are flat.             Fragrance: None. Lasting Quality: Flowers normally remain up             to 10 days on the plant.         -   Tepals.—Tepal Color: The upper surface is Purple Group N78C             with a central bar of Red-Purple Group 71A. The lower             surface is Purple Group 76A at margin with a central bar             Yellow-Green Group 145B. Quantity: Normally 6 tepals. Size:             60 mm in length by 50 mm wide. Shape: Individual tepal shape             is elliptic. The tepal apex is rounded, slightly acute. The             tepal base is typically acute. Apex Recurvature: Slightly             curved. Tepal Cross section: Flat. Margins: Entire. Moderate             undulations of margin. Persistence: Tepals drop off clean             from the plant.         -   Reproductive organs.—Arrangement: Open. Pollen: None             observed. Anthers: Size: 5 mm in length. Color:             Greyed-Orange Group 176A. Quantity: On average, 30.             Filaments: Color: Green-White Group 157A. Length: 10 mm.             Pistils: Quantity: On average, 15. Stigmas: Inferior in             location relative to the length of the filaments and the             height of the anthers. Styles: Color: Yellow White Group             158A. Length: 11 mm. -   Plant:     -   -   Plant form.—Climbing.         -   Plant growth.—Moderately vigorous.         -   Size.—Seasons growth attains 100 to 150 cm in height.             Average spread is 50 cm.         -   Stems.—Color: Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 145C.             Mature stems are Greyed-Purple Group N186C. Internodes: On             average, 10 cm between nodes. Length: Normally 50 cm from             the base of the plant to the flowering portion of the stem.             Diameter: Normally 3 mm. Texture: Mature stems are ribbed.         -   Plant foliage.—Leaf characteristics: Deciduous. Arrangement:             Trifoliate. Leaf Size: Compound leaves are normally 105 mm             (l)×85 mm (w). Leaflets are normally 55 to 70 mm (l)×40 to             55 mm (w). Abundance: On average leaves per 10 cm of stem.             Leaf Color: Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group N144A.             Juvenile lower Yellow-Green Group N144A. Mature upper             Yellow-Green Group 146A. Mature lower Yellow-Green Group             147B. Stipules: Absent. Petioles: Size: Normally 50 mm in             length by mm diameter. Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Purple             Group N186C. Petioloule: Size: Normally 25 mm in length by 2             mm diameter. Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Purple Group             N186C. Leaflet Shape: Generally elliptic. The base is             rounded. The apex is acute. Margin: Entire. Surface: The             upper side is smooth. The lower side is smooth. Thickness:             Average. Glossiness: Moderately glossy.         -   Disease resistance.—Subject to any disease that normally             attacks the species. However the variety is more tolerant to             clematis wilt, Ascochyta clematidina, than some clematis             known to the inventors.         -   Cold hardiness.—The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness             Zone 6.         -   Heat tolerance.—The variety has been found to be suitable             for climate conditions found in the American Horticulture             Society heat zone 7. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of clematis plant named ‘Evipo076’, substantially as described and illustrated, due to its abundant red-purple flowers with good keepability, attractive long lasting foliage and compact growth, year round flowering under glasshouse conditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttings in pots, durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable for distribution in the floral industry. 